


lumiere over me

by atlantisairlock



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Babysitters, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Normal Life, F/F, Falling In Love, Family Feels, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2016-02-16
Packaged: 2018-05-21 01:54:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6033721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atlantisairlock/pseuds/atlantisairlock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>in this world, she breathes life into you, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	lumiere over me

**Author's Note:**

> title from 'tenerife sea' by ed sheeran, which is the most supercat song to ever supercat.

God, you hate your neighbourhood. 

There's something to be said, of course, for the privacy - always the privacy, always the discretion. People here know how to keep things behind closed doors and put on a variety of appearances. Nobody is really a friend, here, though they greet each other with brief nods when they pass each other on the street. It would be tolerable, this arrangement, even pleasant, if people weren't so endlessly caught up in mindless  _gossip._ Perhaps it's the result of endless secrecy, but scandal is by far the only thing that anybody seems to want to talk about, ever. 

You have absolutely no time for this drivel, no time for pathetic excuses of cocktail parties and so-called neighbourhood cookouts and potlucks. You have a job to do, a corporation to run, and - 

a son.

 

 

The neighbours talk. About you - you can deal with that. About your ex-husband, and the messy divorce - that's fine, too.

But when they bring up  _Carter_ \- when they talk about your boy, your son, precious and innocent and warm and totally undeserving of sickly-sweet smiles and whispers behind his back - 

god, you  _really_ hate your neighbourhood.

 

 

Alex Danvers is possibly one of the most bearable neighbours you have, though that title wouldn't be difficult to earn, what with the Lanes next door and the Schotts directly opposite and the truly insufferable Henshaws beside the Schotts. But she's polite, keeps to herself, treats Carter with great respect, and doesn't stoop so low as to centre her daily conversations around what ghastly getup so-and-so wore to some trivial mixer. You supposes you like her enough. It's why, when Carter comes home from school enthusing about a recipe he learned and you both end up spending the afternoon in the kitchen baking, you bring a slice of cake over to Alex as a show of courtesy. 

Only it's not Alex who answers when you ring the doorbell - it's a young, blonde slip of a woman with bright blue eyes and a smile too genuine for a postal code such as this. "Hi!"

For a moment, you are so taken aback that you can't return the greeting. You've never seen this girl before, and one glance tells you that she doesn't fit in this neighbourhood - she's too radiant, too real, too  _alive._ A sort of bitterness spreads upon your tongue, seizes your throat - who is this girl? Why is she here, in this poisonous place, surrounded by people with sharp words and cruel thoughts? 

"Kara!" You hear Alex's voice from within the house. "Who is it?"

"Don't know." Apparently-Kara responds, looking back in. "Blonde, beautiful, looks like she could hire somebody to kill me - ring a bell?"

Alex bustles toward the front door and peers out, a tight smile on her face as she meets your eyes. "Miss Grant. Kara, this is my - our neighbour, Cat Grant, CEO of CatCo. Miss Grant, this is my little sister, Kara. She recently graduated from college and she's staying with me while she's looking for a job and saving up for her own place."

Kara extends a hand, and you shake it. "A pleasure."

"Same!" Kara replies offhandedly, eyes sparkling. "Is that cake?"

Startled, you look at the slice of cake in your other hand. "Oh - yes. Carter got it into his head that he wanted to try a recipe he learned in school today, and we've got far too much between the two of us. And I was wondering, Miss Danvers, if you'd like some."

"Thank you very much." Alex takes the paper plate from you a little stiffly. "We appreciate it."

"Thanks!" Her sister adds with a blinding grin. "See you around, Cat!"

You're still gaping when the door shuts in your face.

 

 

You come to learn more about this Kara Danvers in bits and pieces over the next few days through Carter, who quickly develops a childlike crush on the new girl next door who chats to him over the backyard fence and shows a real interest in his toys. She's twenty-four, just graduated from Stanford with a degree in Business or "something boring like that". Of more importance to Carter is that she loves Super Mario Kart, she can make a mean mac and cheese from scratch and her favourite movie  _ever_ is Wall-E. He gushes about how cool she is, and you have to admit, it endears her to you just a little. She seems - sweet. Nothing like her sister, perhaps, but certainly not like one of the unbearable residents of this town. 

Other assorted snippets of information you discover: she enjoys gardening, waves to you sometimes from her spot in the front yard, kneeling in the soil with a trowel in hand. She hums to herself while she works. She doesn't wear name-brand things, and she's bugging Alex about getting a pet.

To your amazement, you think you could like her.

 

 

Thinking well of Kara quickly becomes a necessity when the nanny who has been watching Carter since he was little more than a newborn unexpectedly resigns. She wrings her hands and babbles on about family issues and a daughter and you let her go with your blessing and four months worth in wages, then set about finding a new babysitter. Carter is old enough that he doesn't need someone looking after him full-time, but you'd breathe a bit easier if you could go to work knowing that somebody'll be there at home to watch over him and help him with his homework until you get home at night. He's old enough that he ought to know about the situation before you spring a surprise on him, so you sit him down and tell him what's happened. You expect him to have questions - but you don't expect his face to light up and for him to clap excitedly. "Can Kara be my new babysitter then?" 

It gives you pause. You hadn't even considered Kara to be a potential sitter - there were a couple of contacts you were thinking of getting in touch with, but all of them are from out of town and it might be hard to convince them to come down. Kara would be another matter altogether - you wouldn't even need to worry about transport costs because she's literally right next door, and at the moment, she's otherwise got no commitments to speak of. And you - well, you think you could trust her with Carter. She seems good with kids, and you think she would probably take easily to the job.

"Huh." You say, clicking your tongue. "Let me ask her about that."

 

 

You have no idea what the average sitter rate is at the moment, and whether it varies if it isn't a one-off thing. By the way Kara splutters on her soda when you offer her thirty dollars per hour, you think it's probably a lot less than that. Still, it's not like you can't afford it - and it might hinder her attempts at finding a permanent job, at least for now, so it's only right that you pay her a good rate. You wait patiently for her to finish coughing, and she wipes her mouth hastily, looking up at you with a disbelieving countenance. "Miss Grant, I - I mean, I would love to, but, I just, thirty dollars an hour? That's - that's far too much, I couldn't possibly - "

With a sigh, you wave away her protests and she falls silent. "I'm assuming you'll do it?"

"Oh - oh yes, I'd love to, I like Carter, he's a very bright boy - it would be my pleasure."

"Magnificent. Now, considering you're an alumnus of Stanford, I would think you can manage sixth grade curricula - the usual medley of subjects. Your duties would include helping Carter with his homework, ensuring his safety while I'm not at home, possibly preparing dinner for him if I'm held up at work and I return home late. Can I trust you with all that?"

She nods, beaming, and you soften. "And Kara? You can just call me Cat."

 

 

Despite your gut feeling - and substantial background checks - you have some misgivings the first time Kara goes over to watch Carter. You text her in between meetings and receive in response a selfie of the pair drinking root beer floats in the kitchen. 

When you lock your phone again, you realise you're smiling. 

 

 

It's easy to trust Kara, with her breezy, lighthearted way of looking at the world, that openness to her, the way she's so frank, so candid, refusing to play the game that so many of your neighbours seem to enjoy. She staunchly refuses to put on a mask for show, to prattle and sneak and manipulate people into getting what she wants. You honestly don't believe she could find it in her to intentionally hurt someone else, no matter how dire the circumstance.

You trust her, implicitly - it's why you don't  _immediately_ leap out of your seat when a text comes in and it's from Kara, saying:

_carter hurt at hospital now_

_not serious but please come_

_will stay with him until you arrive_

You scan through the messages three times, breathing faster and faster, before you call your assistant. "Clear my schedule for the rest of the day. And call me a cab." 

 

 

It turns out that Carter, the twelve-year-old ball of energy he is, decides it would be interesting to find out what would happen if he tried climbing the tree in your backyard. The same tree you've warned him time and again  _not_ to attempt scaling. One of the branches broke while he was just a few feet off the ground, he toppled off, Kara rushed forward to catch him, and they both landed on the ground. Kara took the brunt of the blow, so Carter just has a skinned elbow and a few minor scratches here and there, but Kara has a sprained ankle, and according to the doctors who speak to you, she's lucky to have gotten away with just that. 

You're honestly not surprised that Carter disobeyed you - kids will be kids. What does shock you is the violent rush of anger and fear and concern you feel when you ask the doctors about the extent of Carter's injuries and they tell you, instead, that Kara was hurt. 

The thought of Kara getting hurt - or indeed, either of them - 

When you think back, later, you wonder if this is where it began.

 

 

Kara is deemed fit to leave the hospital without much fuss, just a warning to keep the weight off her injured foot and to keep an eye on the swelling. She's cheerful despite it all, cracking jokes about it with the fairly subdued Carter on the way home, though you have a very good feeling that she's severely downplaying her pain to put your son at ease. It's so typical of her, to think of others before herself. 

You drop Carter and your car off first, quietly tell him to sit in the living room and wait for you to come back. He looks teary-eyed, sniffing as he meets Kara's gaze. "I'm sorry, Kara. I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

"It's all right, sport, it doesn't hurt that much." She says jauntily. "But no more climbing trees, okay?"

He nods fervently, then heads into the living room while you help Kara out of the car, supporting her step by painful step into her own house. Alex isn't home yet, so you get her into a comfortable position on the couch and elevate her ankle. Her smile is a little wan. "Thank you."

"You lied, didn't you? It must hurt a lot."

Kara winces, biting her lip. "Yeah, it really does." She exhales slowly, shakily. "But I'm sure it'll be fine. I just have to give it time."

You sit quietly, watching her squeeze her eyes shut, hissing under her breath as she tries to relax. "Do you have any painkillers? I can get them for you."

"Medicine cupboard, kitchen." 

She's pale when you return with Vicodin and a glass of water, clenching her fist and digging her nails into her palm. "Shit. Suppose that's what I get for heroics." She chuckles, accepting the medicine with thanks. You make sure she's got the painkillers down before you speak again. Your voice is rougher than you'd like, but - 

"Carter would have been - could have been - seriously injured if you hadn't rushed in to grab him." You say, tripping over your words. "Thank you. For - saving him. For keeping him safe."

"It was nothing." Kara replies, but her eyes are warm. 

 

 

Thankfully, the swelling goes down within the next three days and Kara sunnily reports that she can put her weight onto her foot without the pain being overwhelming. Carter's eyes light up when she comes over to babysit him again with the firm promise that he won't do anything silly. 

You watch them tussle playfully when you leave for work, and it makes something twist and burn uncomfortably inside your chest, but for the life of you, you just can't figure out what it is. 

She's there when you get back at around ten, with a glass of red wine and a pint of Haagen-Dazs ready for you. "Thought you might need this." She grins. "Carter's asleep - his homework is done, his backpack is packed, and we watched Inside Out before he went to bed." 

There's a fondness in her eyes you recognise because you've seen it in your own. You turn your glance to the wine and ice cream, then back to her. "Thank you, Kara."

The corner of her mouth quirks upwards. "You're welcome, Cat."

 

 

Carter's birthday comes around during the busiest period at work. You clear your schedule despite, but you don't have time to devote to planning a huge birthday bash and you have to make do with a pizza party at home. He asks to invite Kara, and you let him. At this point, it feels like she's part of the family anyway. 

She comes around and brings Alex, who looks distinctly more relaxed. Alex gives him a set of superhero collectibles, while Kara brings a poorly wrapped baseball bat, and you all sit down in the living room and enjoy yourselves. There's a cake and twelve candles and Carter keeps his wish a secret.

All in all, it's a happy night.

"See you tomorrow, Carter!" Kara says happily as she gives him a hug, one he returns enthusiastically, and then she shoots you a brief smile. "See you tomorrow, Cat."

Alex watches her sister head out of the front door, lingers while getting her coat, and stares you down for five long seconds. You stare back, because it seems like she has something to say to you and whatever it is, you want to hear it. Finally she sighs, averting her eyes, and exits without another word, leaving you with more questions than answers.

 

 

After Carter's birthday, the quarter goes into full swing and you barely have time to breathe, let alone eat and sleep. You're in the office by seven and you don't leave until midnight and it's not fair to Carter, it's not fair to Kara, but you have to keep pushing. 

One particularly bad day, you end up screaming at half the personnel on your floor and fire two incompetent layabouts and by the time you get home you're exhausted, drained, you just want to sleep for a day and wake up to a company that knows how to get things _done._

When you open the front door, you're greeted by a sight that somehow takes your breath away in its simplicity, its innocence, its warmth - the TV is still on, and Carter is lying on the sofa, his head in Kara's lap, and Kara's got an arm wrapped protectively around him, both of them fast asleep, probably having nodded off while waiting for you. In moments like these, Carter looks so peaceful, untouched by the pettiness of the world around him. And Kara... 

Kara, illuminated by the light from the TV, with her blonde hair fanned out against her shoulders, her lips slightly parted, chest rising and falling, even, slow breaths, looking so young, so ethereal. You step forward to get a better look, and she stirs - it's not lost on you how she immediately tightens her grip around Carter's small frame, scanning for danger, before she sees you and you see the tension seep out of her. Her smile is somewhat dazed. "Cat. You're home."

"Yes. You should go home too, Kara. Get some rest."

"Uh huh." She answers blearily, stumbling to her feet and patting Carter's head. "I'll see you tomorrow." 

You watch her go. 

 

 

And somewhere along the line, you start wondering - 

_how did we ever do without her?_

Kara's the epitome of the model babysitter - kind and patient and protective and understanding, someone that Carter adores, someone who goes above and beyond, really loves the child in her care, and yes,  _what would we do without her?_

But you're not sure when you started asking yourself something else - 

_what would I do without her?_

 

 

Kara asks for a day's reprieve to run an errand out of town for Alex. You grant it to her, of course, and she hasn't even been gone fifteen minutes before Alex Danvers comes knocking on your door. You invite her in, offer her tea.

"I'm not here for tea." She states bluntly. "I'm here about my sister."

Ah. 

Alex taps her fingers against her thigh, consternation marring her features. "Look, Miss Grant... my sister is a good kid, okay? And she deserves all the happiness and goodness in the world. She's already had to deal with so much - our parents passing away when she was young, and dealing with high school and college pretty much all on her own, and I'll be the first to admit it - I haven't spent as much time with her as I should've. But..."

"Miss Danvers." You interrupt, not sure why Alex is telling you of all people this, wondering if this is what she wanted to say that night after Carter's birthday celebration. "I'm not seeing your point. What are you getting at?"

She runs her hand through her hair, looking frustrated. "God, Cat, have you not - do you not - remember when she sprained her ankle? Look, she spends hours and hours next door watching over Carter, taking care of him, and I'm not saying she's not doing it for  _him,_ because she is. It's just... she's also doing it for you."

You can't hear Alex for the blood that suddenly rushes deafeningly in your ears, the sudden ache in your chest, understanding and confusion and maybe a bit of hope, all at once. You can't shape your mouth around the words. "Alex, what do you  _mean?"_

A breath, hanging in the air between you. She sighs. "Cat, my sister  _loves_ you. Kara is in love with you." 

And the world stops turning.

 

 

The next day you make it a point to get home early, catch Kara before she can leave. "Wait. I want to talk to you."

She flinches back visibly, glances at Carter, who's bounding upstairs to his room. "Miss Grant, I'm so sorry - whatever Alex said to you, she was just... it's not... I didn't do this, I didn't agree to this, because I have ulterior motives or anything like that. I really care for him."

You think back to the tree-climbing incident, exhale. "I know." 

"Then - "

You look at her, then, really  _look_ at her, young and fresh and green, yet unbroken by the cruelties of the world, earnest and kind and courageous, so soft in all the right ways. Touching her would only serve to ruin her, because you are cold, you are hard, and all your life you have only broken everything you have ever laid your hands on. 

But you reach for her hand anyway, the briefest of touches, brush your fingertips against the back of her hand, and she sucks in a ragged breath. "Cat."

Perhaps you have cared for her the moment you let her in. 

 _Could I love her?_ You idly wonder, until -

until you let yourself entertain the thought of  _losing_ her, in any way, shape or form - 

not seeing her smile when you come home -

the wine and haagen-dazs - 

her laughter - 

her eyes - 

that emptiness in the house you're not sure you could fill if she left - 

 _Kara_ -

you step forward and kiss her.

She kisses you back, and after that, it's as easy as breathing.

**Author's Note:**

> edit: everyone's comments are so sweet! i honestly thought this wasn't one of my better pieces and that it was pretty rushed, but i'm glad some of you enjoyed it :) thank you for all the kind words.


End file.
